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This craveable, green chile enchilada casserole is the best variation on the internet! It’s creamy, dreamy, tangy, and – if you already have shredded chicken on hand (maybe some intentional best overs Cook Once style or from a rotisserie chicken) – there’s ZERO cooking involved. You read that right. Just mix your filling, layer with tortillas and shredded cheese, and bake. That’s it! It’s the perfect recipe for the busiest of humans and totally delicious!
Creamy Green Chile Enchilada Casserole
I’m a BIG fan of casseroles, especially in this particularly busy season of my life with work and two littles at home. I don’t have a lot of time to fuss with a laundry list of ingredients or steps to prepare an elaborate meal, but still want something super nourishing and tasty for my family. Enter this casserole! It is seriously the casserole my dreams are made of.
A lot of the traditional green chile casseroles had cream of chicken soup in the filling. I wanted to protect the creamy nature of the filling, but have a really viable gluten-free option that didn’t involve making your own cream-of-something soup and that was versatile enough to also make dairy-free with a few tweaks. Enter two of my favorite loves, sour cream and cream cheese. The combo of the two makes the filling extra creamy, with just the right amount of tang from the green chiles and lime juice. Everything mixes together in one bowl (no need to dirty any extra dishes), then gets layered in the casserole dish, and baked to bubbly perfection. It’s so easy, I’m confident you’ll find yourself coming back to it over and over again as a dinnertime staple!
Ingredients for Chicken Enchilada Casserole with Green Chiles
- 3 cups of cooked shredded chicken
- 1 cup of sour cream
- 8 ounces of cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup of lime juice
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon of onion powder
- 3, 4-ounce cans of green chiles
- 4 cups of shredded Mexican cheese
- 12 corn tortillas
Ingredient Variations and Modifications
This creamy chicken casserole is a 10/10 as written, but if you’re looking for ways to modify it, we’ve got ideas for you below!
- Make it dairy-free – to make this casserole dairy-free, use a dairy-free sour cream (Kite Hill or Forager make great options) and dairy-free cream cheese (I like Kite Hill), and omit the cheese. Add an extra layer of tortillas on the top and top with a green Chile salsa or enchilada sauce.
- Make it spicy – the green chiles on their own are not inherently spicy, so if you’d like to add a kick to your casserole, add a bit of cayenne or chopped jalapenos in with the creamy chicken mixture, or use spicy green chiles instead of regular canned green chiles.
- Add black olives, black beans, or corn – any combination of these three (or even just one of them) would be really delicious tossed in the casserole itself. Simply stir corn, black beans, and/or black olives in with the chicken mixture.
- Play with garnishes – get creative with your garnishes! Sour cream and thinly sliced jalapeños would both be really delicious adds.
How to Assemble a Creamy Chicken Enchilada Casserole
The first steps in getting a hot, ready-to-devour casserole on the table is prepping components and assembling! Here’s the full (very short) how-to for this one:
- Make the creamy chicken filling – in a large bowl, mix together the sour cream, cream cheese, lime juice, spices, and green chiles until well incorporated (it’s ok if its not completely smooth! The cream cheese will melt while baking). Then, add the chicken and stir to fully coat.
- Layer and assemble – line the bottom of a 9×13 dish with a single layer of 6 corn tortillas. Add half of the chicken mixture on top of the tortillas, spread in an even layer, and then sprinkle two cups of cheese over top of the chicken. Repeat the same process for the second layer.
How to Bake Layered Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Casserole
The casserole is assembled, and now it’s time to pop it in the oven! Bake the creamy enchilada casserole in a 350°F oven for 30 minutes until the cheese is slightly browned and bubbly. If the cheese isn’t browning, you can turn on the broiler for a couple minutes to brown the top. Garnish the casserole with cilantro, then serve and enjoy!
Tips for Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Use a rotisserie chicken – make things really easy on yourself and use a shredded rotisserie chicken instead of cooking/shredding your own.
- Let the cheese brown and bubble – don’t pull your casserole out of the oven before the cheese has a chance to get nice and browned and bubbly. Melted cheese is great, but browned and bubbly cheese really takes the flavor of this dish up a notch.
Mexican Side Dish and Drink Ideas
While this casserole is a filling, balanced meal all on its own, I get wanting to create a little bit of a table spread if time allows! Below, you’ll find our best side and drink accompaniments to serve alongside your creamy enchilada casserole:
- Mexican Street Corn and Kale Slaw
- Mexican Corn Salad Recipe
- Mexican Coleslaw with Creamy Avocado Dressing
- Black Bean and Corn Salad
- The Best Pineapple Margarita
- Fresh Lime & Jalapeno Margarita
- How to Make a Margarita
How to Store and Reheat
Store your leftover casserole in an airtight container (or covered casserole dish) in the refrigerator, and reheat individual portions in the microwave (or oven). If you stored your casserole in the casserole dish and want to reheat the whole thing, feel free to pop it in the oven at 350°F until heated through.
Creamy Chicken Enchilada Casserole FAQs
You can absolutely prep your creamy chicken enchilada casserole in advance! To do this, you can either:
- Fully bake and store the whole thing – follow the recipe as written for assembly and baking instructions, but pull the casserole out of the oven before the cheese has a chance to brown. Let it cool completely, then cover and refrigerate. When you’re ready to enjoy, pop the whole casserole dish in a 350°F oven (uncovered) until heated through, browned, and bubbly.
- Assemble and bake later – follow the directions in the recipe card to assemble your casserole, then store it (before baking) covered in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to enjoy, pop the whole thing (uncovered) in a 350°F oven for 30 minutes.
We used corn tortillas in this recipe, but you could absolutely use flour if you’d prefer. Go with what you have/what you love!
Just for You
Chicken Recipes
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Ingredients
- 3 cups shredded chicken
- 1 cup sour cream
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 3, 4-ounce cans green chiles
- 4 cups shredded Mexican cheese
- 12 corn tortillas
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, mix together the sour cream, cream cheese, lime juice, spices, and green chiles until well incorporated (it's ok if its not completely smooth! The cream cheese will melt while baking).
- Add the chicken to the mixture and stir to coat.
- Line the bottom of a 9×13 dish with a single layer of 6 corn tortillas. Add half of the chicken mixture on top of the tortillas, spread in an even layer, and then sprinkle two cups of cheese over top of the chicken. Repeat the same process for the second layer.
- Bake for 30 minutes until the cheese is slightly browned and bubbly. If the cheese isn't browning, you can turn on the broiler for a couple minutes to brown the top.
- Garnish with cilantro, serve, and enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Recipe Notes
- Make it dairy-free – to make this casserole dairy-free, use a dairy-free sour cream (like Forager or Kite Hill) and dairy-free cream cheese (like Kite Hill), and omit the cheese. Add an extra layer of tortillas on the top and top with a green Chile salsa or enchilada sauce.
- Make it spicy – the green chiles on their own are not inherently spicy, so if you’d like to add a kick to your casserole, add a bit of cayenne or chopped jalapenos in with the creamy chicken mixture, or use spicy green chiles instead of regular canned green chiles.
- Add black olives, black beans, or corn – any combination of these three (or even just one of them) would be really delicious tossed in the casserole itself. Simply stir corn, black beans, and/or black olives in with the chicken mixture.
- Play with garnishes – get creative with your garnishes! Sour cream and thinly sliced jalapeños would both be really delicious adds.
Jeannie says
A question on the amount of green chilies: most cans are 4 oz. Is it supposed to be three 4 oz. cans? 24 oz. of green chilies sounds like a lot
Melissa Guevara says
Good catch, Jeannie! It is supposed to be 3, 4-ounce cans of green chiles. We’ve fixed it in the copy/recipe card. Thank you for bringing this to our attention! -Team FF
Rachel says
This was delicious! I did use 4 oz cans of green chilies instead of the 8 oz called for in the recipe. I only used 2 cans in the casserole and set the contents of the third on the table so we could add more if we wanted. I will definitely make this again!
Melissa Guevara says
We’re so glad that you enjoyed, Rachel! The 8-ounce cans were a typo, oops (we fixed it now)! We meant 4-ounce cans, so you were right on with your instincts. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience with us. We really appreciate it! -Team FF
Laura says
What are the calories in this?
Melissa Guevara says
Hi Laura! There are 783 calories per serving, based on 6 servings. You can find additional nutrition information on the recipe card just under the instructions. Thank you for reaching out! -Team FF
Lisa says
Made this last night for dinner and it was amazing! I substituted low carb flour tortillas for the corn tortillas and it was still great. I think the lime juice puts it over the top!
Melissa Guevara says
We love to hear that, Lisa! Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback as well as your thoughtful substitution! We really appreciate it and are so glad that you enjoyed this recipe. -Team FF
Briana says
This was so delicious! Easier than rolling up enchiladas, but a similar flavor profile that really hit the spot.
Do you think this has too much dairy in it to freeze well? Trying to prep for baby & this sounds like a great postpartum comfort meal.
Melissa Guevara says
We are so glad that you enjoyed this recipe, Briana! Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us. It should freeze and reheat well. Hope that it helps with baby prep. Congratulations! -Team FF
Reene says
This recipe is amazing. I love how easy and fast it is to make. Super good!
Melissa Guevara says
We are so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Reene! Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us. We really appreciate it! -Team FF
Kathy P says
The whole family loved this quick and easy dish. Will definitely make this again!
Kathy P says
The whole family loved this quick and easy dish. We made half with low carb tortillas and the other half with corn tortillas. Will definitely make this again!
Melissa Guevara says
We are so glad that your family loved this recipe! Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience and thoughtful subs with us. We really appreciate it! -Team FF
Melissa Jacobsen says
Already a family favorite! Thank you for easy, quick recipes that everyone loves.
Melissa Guevara says
We are so glad to hear that, Melissa! Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us, and thank you so much for being here! -Team FF
Erin says
Compared to other recipes here, this one came out pretty bland. It’s creamy, yes, but not much flavor. I feel like some aromatics like onions and garlic might help or dial up the seasonings.
Brandi Schilhab says
Thank you for the feedback, Erin! We’re sorry you didn’t love this one!